Illinois approves Medical Marijuana for 8 Health Conditions

Posted by Sagar Satapathy on October 08, 2015.

An Advisory Board in Illinois, has voted to add eight health conditions to the list of diseases or illness that can be treated by medical marijuana. The eight health conditions included chronic pain syndrome, autism, osteoarthritis, post-traumatic stress disorder, intractable pain, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pain due to trauma and chronic post-operative pain.

The latest development came as a major relief for autism patients, as Illinois would be the first state to approve medical marijuana for this illness. Children must get written certification from two doctors in Illinois to use marijuana. The adults need just one doctor's written consent. In case of children, the parents and family members will have second opinion to get 100% confirmation before they administer marijuana to their kids.

Currently, 18 out of 23 states that have legalized medical marijuana, have chronic pain in the approved list. However, Illinois had not approved it. A recent review on 79 studies, had found marijuana effective to treat chronic pain, prompting Illinois to add this to its list of approved illness.

The Illinois law already lists 39 conditions and diseases that qualify for the use of medical marijuana with a doctor's signature. They include cancer, glaucoma, HIV and hepatitis C. Under the Illinois medical law, the recommendations made by the Advisory Board, need approval of Illinois Department of Public Health Director Nirav Shah.